While everyone else was fooling with Klon Klones this weekend, I was doing something useful!
Here is my True Bypass mod for the cheap-ass Behringer VP1 "Vintage Phaser" E-H Smallstone knockoff. I'm not normally real psycho about True Bypass, but this thing needed it bad - had all kinds of LFO crap getting into the bypassed signal.
This is an extremely easy mod and can probably be used as a basis for doing the TB mod to any other of these Behringer knockoffs. This switch works exactly as it should and there's not popping or any other silliness when actuated.
Here are images of the schematic layout and the completed unit I did today:
Nice. I'm about ready to polish a few Behringer turds myself if you're interested. I just got in the UC100 chorus pedal and the UF100 flanger and the DD400 digital delay is in the mail. I'm just going to put them in new boxes and move the jacks to the top end so I can squish them tighter onto the pedal board.
I can't hardly wait till they put out that Dim C clone.
Have you seen their clone of a Memory Man? http://www.behringer.com/VM1/index.cfm?lang=eng
It says it's made with real analog BBD chips.
Street price around $70...... looks like a good candidate for pimping.
I wonder if the UF100 Flanger sounds anything like the ol' Boss BF-2? I'm a big fan of the BF-2.
soulsonic wrote:I don't know about adding a Depth pot to it. I believe the circuit is like a Small Stone, so maybe you could find some ideas from that.
I tried looking all over for Small Stone mods, found nothing though.
Thanks for the reposted pics though.
Completed builds: Completed builds : Proco Rat MXR MicroAmp in a volume pedal TubeDriver (w/ NoS russian tube and big muff tone contol) + Phase 45 (w/ univibe cap ratio) Dallas Rangemaster (w/ noisy OC75, negative ground) SubCaster tube booster (w/ NoS russian tube, PtP) Hot Harmonics Music From Outer Space SubCommander in progress Crackle Not OK Simple bass blender in a 1590A Bazz Fuss with a photo-darlington
I'm also interested in mods for this phaser. It's indeed a Small Stone clone, but there are some small differences with the schematic widely available. I've traced it, i still need to draw a clean schematic before posting it here.
I've done the Univibe-cap-ratio mod, with a 4PDT switch, and the result is not as dramatic as it is with a Phase 45. http://www.lynx.bc.ca/~jc/pedalsSmallStone.html
But maybe it's because i messed with SMD-desoldering, delaminating some solder pads Still working but ugly
I intend to make it true-bypass with the original DPDT switch, and an LFO-controlled Millenium Bypass.
As for intensity, you'd want to replace the "color" switch with a pot, i.e. vary the amount of feedback.
Thanks for this post Soulsonic. Just did this mod today. Works great; no TB popping either which is cool. As an unintended result the mod really cleaned up the sound of my FX loop path. The Behringer VP1's bypass buffer seemed to be causing my Moen Shaky Jimi vibe pedal, which is in front of it, to bleed through a bit when the vibe was disengaged. It made a background clicking noise which had been driving me nuts but it's all fixed now.
I followed all your wiring to the letter but I did find however I needed to connect the wire that goes to the input jack to a different lug than the one you have visible in your photo in order for the pedal to pass signal - I found mine need to go to the lug right at the bottom of the input jack when viewed from the same angle as in your photo - i.e., with the pedal face down, jacks facing away and board solder side up. Not sure why.
Anyway; thanks again, very cool and simple mod.
I also changed to knob while I was at it. The loose feel of the pot on this unit always annoyed me, so I put on a knob which has a screw on the side which bites into the pot's shaft - you know the usual kind you get at the electronics store. I made sure the knob was rubbing on the box before I secured it so it would provide a tighter feel to the knob's traverse and so I wouldn't keep knocking the knob with my foot and changing the settings. Now I'll I have to look into TB modding my VT911 Tube OD and DC9 Compressor.
Completed builds: Completed builds : Proco Rat MXR MicroAmp in a volume pedal TubeDriver (w/ NoS russian tube and big muff tone contol) + Phase 45 (w/ univibe cap ratio) Dallas Rangemaster (w/ noisy OC75, negative ground) SubCaster tube booster (w/ NoS russian tube, PtP) Hot Harmonics Music From Outer Space SubCommander in progress Crackle Not OK Simple bass blender in a 1590A Bazz Fuss with a photo-darlington
I've eventually found the time to draw this darn schematic ! There's lots of track "stitching", it's quite hard to reverse-engineer ...
Anyway. It's a Small Stone, but not exactly the "issue J" schem that you find anywhere on the web. EHX is known to often change details in the schematics, depending on parts availability. There might be some wires missing around the OTA of the LFO, and of course i can have made mistakes, but overall i'm pretty confident it's accurate. Oh, i forgot : the phase-shifting OTAs are LM13700.
Where would be the best place for a LFO-speed blinking LED ? At the collector of T4 or T6 ?
^thanks Jim,
I can't believe you actually reversed it just because the smd board is small and with the duel layer i would have jumped off a bridge a quarter way in the process .
Completed builds: Completed builds : Proco Rat MXR MicroAmp in a volume pedal TubeDriver (w/ NoS russian tube and big muff tone contol) + Phase 45 (w/ univibe cap ratio) Dallas Rangemaster (w/ noisy OC75, negative ground) SubCaster tube booster (w/ NoS russian tube, PtP) Hot Harmonics Music From Outer Space SubCommander in progress Crackle Not OK Simple bass blender in a 1590A Bazz Fuss with a photo-darlington
@ Cow4Prez : I primarily used the gutshots above (hmm, the 8 Mpix originals) for this RE. Using layers and transparency in The Gimp, i've aligned and highlighted the traces on both sides. There was some guesses and continuity-beeping for concealed vias ... But for really accurate schematic, i've re-drawn the layout in Eagle to check consistency
i would have jumped off a bridge a quarter way in the process .
I almost gave up at some point ... initially i only needed the order of the phase-shifting stage for UniVibe mod.
@IggY : The CA3080 is an Intersil one (or a counterfait one ...). The markings are really difficult to read but the "i" logo is clearly there.
Cool mod, thanks.
I re housed one of these 6 months ago but gave up on using it in my rig because of the bleed thru when the effect was off. Now its useable!!!!! Only thing tho, I found the same proble with the mod as the earlier poster............it wouldnt pass sound with the input wire soldered in the spot you recomended, on mine that terminal was the sleeve ground. Tip on mine was located at the bottom terminal as stated in the other post. Now she works like a charm.
I just found this forum and this particular thread while looking for details on rehousing this thing.
I am quite new to the business of pedal modding and rehousing so please excuse my noob questions.
I'm trying to identify the type of pot used as I neither can nor want to use the crap original one. Any idea? I can't find it, not even on the manufacturer site (ALPS). As I need to throw out the switch anyway I'll go and implement the TB, too. Anything else I need to watch out for?
Main reason for rehousing are the hideous looks and the waste of board space.
Still working but ugly 
just because the smd board is small and with the duel layer i would have jumped off a bridge a quarter way in the process .